Four Fascinating Facts About Humans in Space

Are you fascinated by space exploration? Do you dream of joining the 12 people in history who've walked on the moon? Before you don your space suit, check out these interesting facts about humans in space!

1) Before you can even think about becoming an astronaut, you must log at least 1,000 hours of flying in a jet aircraft. This will prepare you, at least somewhat, to go from zero to 17,000 miles per hour in less than nine minutes on the Space Shuttle.

2) Once you've been launched into space, astronauts receive 3.8 pounds of food a day. Most of the food is precooked and processed so that it doesn't require refrigeration. Some fresh fruits and vegetables are on board, but they must be consumed within the first couple days. Astronauts can season their meals with ketchup, mustard, and taco sauce, among other condiments provided on the Space Shuttle.

3) The food consumed during Apollo 11 included bacon squares, sugar cookie cubes, beef stew, and fruit cake. The astronauts quenched their thirst with coffee, fruit juice, and orange drink.

4) On Earth, space suits weigh a whopping 280 pounds. It takes the better part of an hour to put on a space suit, and each astronaut wears special undergarments.

For more interesting space facts, check out NASA's website.

Learn about Space Flight with NASA’s Online Mission Archive

If you’re a space enthusiast who wants to learn everything there is to know about missions outside of Earth, NASA’s mission archive was made for you. This in-depth list is packed full of every space mission conducted by NASA, as well as a launch schedule so you can stay up-to-date on upcoming launches.

If you know of a specific NASA mission that you want to learn more about, the mission archive features a main alphabetical list where you can search by mission name. When you click on a mission, the site provides a background summary of the project information, flight plan, the project’s experiments, and even authentic images and findings brought back from that mission. 

For those who simply want to browse missions without a specific one in mind, the site also allows you to search by topic. Explore Earth, humans in space, the solar system, or even the entire universe by reading up on missions from these broad topics.

NASA is also planning new journeys every day. The site's launch schedule provides visitors with a full schedule of upcoming missions planned by NASA, as well as detailed information about the vehicle, launch site, launch pad, and the mission’s goals.

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